Atlas: Chita

Chita
Population:	380,000
Area:	232,500 sq. miles (approx.); 370,000 sq. km (approx.)
Ethnic Groups:	Russian; Mongolian; Chinese; Cossack
Founded:	1653
Industry:	Mining; Agriculture

Location

Climate

Longitude

Latitude

Altitude

Time Zone

Temperature

Precipitation

113° 30' E

52° 03'N

600 ft.
200 m

GMT	+14 hours
Moscow	+5 hours

January	-24° C
July	+20° C

20 inches
71cm

Chita's place in Russian history was made in 1825, when 82 of the "Decembrists" who had tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the Tsar in St. Petersburg were exiled to the area. The Decembrists, whose revolt lasted less than a day, became heroes in Soviet lore as the first sowers of the seeds of revolution.

Perhaps due in part to the influence of the early revolutionary exiles, Chita was a center for worker unrest in the early years of the 20th century. After Father Gapon and his workers were massacred in St. Petersburg in January of 1905, Chita became a center for worker demonstrations, which led to armed revolutionaries taking control of the city and declaring the "Chita Republic." Troops sent by the Tsar quickly crushed the new government and its leaders were severely punished.

Chita was closed to foreigners for a time because of its proximity to the Chinese border and its military industry. Before the revolution, the city had an active mosque, synagogue and Buddhist temple, but those are now closed. Chita has sister city relationships with Boise, Idaho and Chita, Japan.

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